Determining the laser-induced release probability of a nanoparticle from a soft substrate

This Letter presents a study of laser-induced nanoparticle release from a soft substrate in air under different conditions. A continuous wave (CW) laser heats a nanoparticle and causes a rapid thermal expansion of the substrate, which gives an upward momentum that releases the nanoparticle from the substrate. The release probability of different nanoparticles from different substrates under different laser intensities is studied. The effects of surface properties of substrates and surface charges of the nanoparticles on the release are also investigated. The mechanism of nanoparticle release demonstrated in this work is different from that of laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT). Owing to the simplicity of this technology and the wide availability of commercial nanoparticles, this nanoparticle release technology may find applications in nanoparticle characterization and nanomanufacturing.